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Analysts note growth; increases benefit area

MTN
Published 11:09 p.m. CT Jan. 5, 2014

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An employee at Ranger Boats works on a new bass boat last year. Area recreational boat manufacturers saw an increase in retail sales in 2013.
(Photo:
Kevin Pieper/The Baxter Bulletin
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A rebound in the recreational boat building industry nationally was driven by an increase in retail sales that topped 5 percent in 2013. The industry anticipates steady growth in 2014, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

The increase harmonizes well with what happened last year with the Ranger-Triton-Stratos family of fishing and recreational boats owned by Fishing Holdings LLC in Flippin.

The number of fiberglass model units delivered to dealers in 2013 increased by the industry standard of 5 percent, according to Fishing Holdings President Randy Hopper. Add the manufacturer’s new line of aluminum boats to the mix and the number of units output increased by a whopping 39 percent at the Flippin plant.

Likewise, the Basscat-Yarcraft plant in Midway delivered a number of units in 2013 that beat the industry average.

“People want boats and they’re buying them,” said Rick Pierce, plant manager for Basscat-Yarcraft. “We saw a little slowdown in the fall, but it didn’t last long.”

Chatter is loud regarding boat shows in the Houston and Minneapolis-St. Paul markets.

NMMA analysts say the U.S. recreational boating industry will continue its post-recession climb with an estimated 5 percent increase in new powerboat retail sales. The increase comes on the heels of the industry’s 2012 rebound when new powerboat retail sales increased 10 percent — the industry’s first sign of recovery.

In 2014, NMMA expects recreational power boat sales will continue to grow another 5-7 percent.

“What’s more, retail dollar sales of new powerboats are expected to be up 8 percent in 2013, signaling that the mix of boats being purchased includes higher-priced boats and that Americans are investing more in boating,” said Thom Dammrich, president of NMMA. “The housing market has improved, consumer confidence has steadily increased the last two years, and consumer spending is on the rise — all factors that are helping to fuel stable growth for the U.S. recreational boating industry and further sales (in 2014).”

In addition, statistics show more and more Americans take to the water at an all-time high — 88 million Americans went boating in 2013.

“This indicates that with experience on the water comes an interest in life on the water and the subsequent purchase of a boat,” Dammrich said. “If economic growth persists, and the recreational boating industry continues gaining participants, we anticipate sustained growth in 2014 and into 2015 and 2016.”

Following are U.S. recreational boating facts and figures, according to NMMA:

Retail sales of new power and sailboats increased 10.7 percent in 2012 to 163,245 boats, demonstrating the first significant sign of a post-recession recovery for the industry. That growth had another strong upward pattern in 2013.

It’s not just new boats Americans are buying. There were an estimated 969,000 pre-owned boats (power, PWCs and sail) sold in 2012, an increase of 6 percent from 2011.

Fishing remains the number one (63 percent) boating activity current participants engaged in, while 20 percent went tubing, 17 percent went waterskiing and 9 percent went wakeboarding for a total of 46 percent who participated in watersports (tubing, waterskiing, wakeboarding).